What if you only had one year left on this earth?

It’s the end of October. OCTOBER! I cannot believe that time has flown by so quickly and it feels like I have been sitting here doing the same thing(s) I was doing last October. Yup, that’s my saboteur (read: self limiting beliefs) talking, but it’s still pretty real when I feel defeated. Maybe defeated is harsh. Yeah, I would probably rewrite and use impatient.

At church yesterday, I felt that a mirror was being held up to my oh-so-beautiful face that basically pointed out the fears I have been harbouring for a while. The question posed at the congregation by the speaker Dr. Dennis Jackson was the following:

What if you only had one year left on this earth?

Wow. Ok, I guess I am mortal.

What would you focus on?

I would do anything I could to change the world. Starting with focusing on my coaching practice, and a continuous way to serve others.

What if you had to approach every year with that type of INTENSITY?

And the hit in the gut happened right there. Thanks for shining a light on that…now I feel like a failure.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. It always comes down to this. Tara! You are waiting for a life that is already happening. A life that you only get one shot at. You’re living it now. What could you possibly be waiting for?

I have always had my head swirling with ideas. However, it was recently (maybe just over a year ago) that I actually started to see myself as creative (by the way, we are all creative beings…some just have more talent than others!). I see the world I want to help create. I see the issues that are plaguing humankind on the news. I read about the fact that there are 29 million (approximate) people around the world that are being held in slavery. I saw that documentary called #Blackfish on CNN this weekend about the killer whales being held in captivity at Sea World. I envision how I would help – how I would use my beliefs around injustice to help shape a program/workshop/session/etc. that would help.

Then I freeze.

Have you ever felt that feeling? When you feel no one would care about what you have to say or write? That other people are doing that, and you’re so ordinary, why would anyone listen to how you are going to help? That it’s useless to start because you’re just…well…YOU?

I know you have. It’s easy to fall into that trap. I’m just me. I have nothing to give. I am scared. I don’t have it in me. Someone else is doing it.

Well, Dr. Dennis Jackson kicked me in my butt and told me to get going. He reminded me that it’s exactly when you feel these feelings that it is the time to PUSH ON THROUGH. That’s exactly what faith is. Saying yes to what’s coming to you.

So, what if I had to approach every year with that type of intensity?

Well, i’m pretty sure I would change the world. I would love more. I would definitely laugh more. Develop more meaningful relationships. I would be successful in my business and inspire others to find what it is they are here to do. I would feel that I was actually making a difference.

God already knows I have it in me. So if it’s promised, what should I fear?

Today, I start my 365 day journey of my next year on earth. I intend to live it with intensity – to express myself boldly and authentically every day so that I can live with no regrets, I can be the best I can be, and most importantly, I can show others that it is possible for them to live that way too.

So what do you say? Are you in?

Just start. Join me in starting. Join me in being more than just a complainer. Join me in being a catalyst for a better world. It will be amazing what we can all accomplish in 365 days.